Mr. Money rebounds at right time; Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile likely next

Mr. Money had a lucrative campaign in 2019, winning four graded stakes, but had struggled to find the win column in 2020. He finally cashed in with a victory in the Grade 3 Ack Ack Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs that likely earned him a return engagement in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

Mr. Money, who is trained by Bret Calhoun for Chester Thomas’s Allied Racing Stable and Spendthrift Farm, got a ground-saving trip while stalking the pace under Gabriel Saez in the one-mile Ack Ack. He surged clear in the stretch to win by 1 1/4 lengths, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 94. It was his first top-three finish in five races this year. He had been 10th in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic in August in his prior start.

“Gabe worked out a perfect trip on him,” Calhoun said. “I thought his last few tries weren’t a fair assessment of who this horse is. He showed us who he was today.”

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Last year, Mr. Money won four consecutive Grade 3 stakes, the Pat Day Mile, Matt Winn, Indiana Derby, and West Virginia Derby. He was beaten a neck in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby before finishing seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita. This year’s renewal of that race is set for Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

“Fingers crossed that will take us to the Breeders’ Cup,” Thomas said after the Ack Ack.

The Ack Ack was the final graded stakes race of the September meet at Churchill Downs, which kicked off with the postponed Kentucky Derby week. Thoroughbred racing on the Kentucky circuit now moves to Keeneland for its fall meet running from Fridaythrough Oct. 24, before Churchill Downs conducts its final meet of the year from Oct. 25-Nov. 29. There will be a two-day pause in the Churchill meet for the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland.

◗ Dennis’ Moment, whose Triple Crown aspirations were scuttled earlier this year, returned to the work tab Saturday morning at Churchill Downs with a three-furlong breeze in 36.80 seconds. It was his first work since Feb. 23 at Gulfstream. Six days later, he finished 10th in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in his 3-year-old debut.

Dennis’ Moment won the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes last year for Dale Romans. In his final race at 2, the colt stumbled badly at the start of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and finished eighth as the favorite.